JULY 2006

 My Dad was Chevy Chase. Okay, he wasn’t really Chevy Chase, but Larry Kent Trueblood strongly resembled one of Chevy’s best known characters: Clark W. Griswold. My Dad saw every family vacation as a mission to pack the utmost family fun into every family venture. Case-in-point: The 1986 Trueblood Family Vacation—Hawaii.

I was sixteen when our family ventured to the islands. I felt a lot older on the plane ride home. We visited every nook and crevice of Oahu and Maui in our 10-day adventure. Dad packed about as much tourism and sight-seeing as is humanly possible into those 240 hours. We visited Pearl Harbor, the Road to Hanna and Sugar Cane Fields to name a mere few. Every day had a detailed and stringent plan and Clark—I mean Dad, worked tirelessly to implement that plan. Sure, certain endeavors strongly resembled something out of a Vacation movie—I mean, why would a family from Indiana fly thousands of miles to visit a sugar cane field...something that looks much like a cornfield? And why were we in such a rush to navigate the world’s curviest road that I lost my two-dozen powdered donuts on curve #732—as Dad meanwhile diverted the family’s attention toward a waterfall? At any rate, Dad had a plan and worked hard to execute that plan in each of those 14,400 minutes of vacation bliss!

Plans are even more vital to the marketing process. In fact, the final stage of our 3-Step System is known as BrandPlan. In this stage, the brand comes together. At this point, through BrandFocus, we have developed a profitable direction for the brand’s identity; and we have done the creative background needed to make the brand tangible from a marketing perspective. Through BrandTraining we have educated the employees on the guidelines of behavior needed to live up to the brand identity. Now, it is time to create and implement a plan to reach the goals set by the company.

The BrandPlan does indeed begin with a goal that can be quantified into market share or increased sales volume. Next, the necessary media vehicles are selected and a comprehensive marketing communications plan is developed based on a combination of company goals and budget. This might include everything from mass media advertising and letterhead to website and point-of-sale signage. Next, the creative direction is finalized and marketing communications elements are produced. Finally, we put the plan to work and begin monitoring results.

Remember, brand-building does not take place in a nanosecond. Most likely, it will take some time. Why? Well, time is needed for at least two reasons. First, branding is about building a relationship with the customer. Lasting relationships are not built in 30-seconds. It is a process. Also, clutter is a big issue today. It is estimated that today’s average 65-year old American has viewed more than two million commercials. That is a lot of clutter to break through in order to establish a meaningful identity. Brand-building focuses on a creative approach that is grounded in consistency with strong continuity throughout all forms of marketing communication which allows a clear sales proposition to emerge. That sales proposition will help your company stand for something in the mind of the consumer and in time, build and solidify your company’s identity.

Indeed, that is the plan! At BrandVision Marketing, we’ve developed a real penchant for this phase. And yes, the credit for my planning prowess must go to Clark, I mean my Dad.

 NEXT MONTH: To Endorse or Not to Endorse...That is the Question!
 © BrandVision Marketing. 2006. Matthew Scott Trueblood. All rights reserved.

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